More than 1,000 line up at A.C. job fair

ATLANTIC CITY - This is what unemployment looks like in a shrinking casino town.

The line stretched from one end of the Atlantic City Convention Center to the other as more than 1,000 job seekers - many recently laid-off casino workers - waited to register for an opportunity to chat and drop off resumés with 53 regional employers Wednesday.

Combined, the employers were offering 1,200 mostly non-gaming jobs - a dent in what will be needed for the mass casino layoffs that will have claimed more than 8,000 jobs this year after Trump Plaza closes next week.

But still, "a good start in getting people back to work," said Mayor Don Guardian, who stopped by to check on turnout.

The fourth level of the Convention Center was overflowing. Some sat on tables lining the lobby to fill out forms about their work history, or to apply for positions online. There was a steady line behind the single printer to make copies of their resumés.

"This is the largest job fair in the history of New Jersey," the mayor said. "We're really blessed with the state helping the city."

They came in suits and casual wear for the all-day job fair, which began at 10 a.m., and was sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the agency that has set up shop at the Convention Center for the last week to deal with what Commissioner Harold J. Wirths calls "a crisis."

"As of yesterday we had just under 2,000 apply for unemployment benefits," he said. "We expect that to go up next week" with the closing of Trump Plaza. The casino employs 1,100.

Another statistic that Wirths expects to tick upward in October is Atlantic City's unemployment rate, which was 13 percent in July before the recent wave of casino closings. By comparison, the state's unemployment rate was 6.5 percent, and Atlantic County's 10 percent.

Wirths said the state created just under 9,000 private sector jobs in June and July, and about 27,000 total so far this year. But "the [casino] layoffs will really impact our [job] numbers and offset the gains," he said.

Khira Molley, 37, of Atlantic City, came Wednesday dressed in a skirt, blouse, and low heels. She was laid off from Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. - the company that owns the Trump Taj Mahal and Trump Plaza - a year ago after working in administration for 14 years. She's been working part time at the Claridge Hotel the last four months.

"I'm looking for steady work," said Molley, who handed a resumé to just about every employer at the job fair. "Something's that not going to fold in the next year."

Two major casinos - Showboat and Revel - closed last week. Trump Plaza shutters on Tuesday, and now its sister casino, the Taj Mahal, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday and may close as early as mid-November if it doesn't win major concessions from Unite Here Local 54, the casino workers' union, and drastically cuts operating expenses.

The tiny Atlantic Club shut down in January.

Wirths said his department will again partner with Unite Here Local 54 and set up at Boardwalk Hall next Wednesday through Friday after Trump Plaza closes to assist laid-off workers.

It is not likely the last time. The department received a letter from the Taj Mahal early Wednesday that layoff notices could possibly go out to 3,100 employees in the next 60 days, known as a WARN notice, said Wirths.

That's all Sandy Shipton, 53, needed to know. Shipton, who has worked in massage therapy at the Taj Mahal's spa for 23 years, was in line Wednesday for a job at the Borgata.

"I'm just putting out feelers," she said. "I'm being proactive. I am confident the Taj will survive."

The other employers represented diverse sectors, such as Wegman's Supermarket in Cherry Hill, American Water Co. of Voorhees, Atlantic City Electric Co., Durand Glass Manufacturing of Millville, and Edward Jones Financial of Linwood.

By 2 p.m., the number of job seekers who had come through the Convention Center had grown to about 1,500. Wirths said the total was hard to track since people were coming in from all entrances.

Gloria Panameno of Northfield worked at Showboat for 27 years, the last 21 as a table games supervisor. She is deciding whether to change careers, enroll in computer classes, or go to school for training.

"It was shocking," she said of Showboat's closing on Aug. 31. "We were not in the red."

Panameno said her preference was to stay in the hospitality business, but that might change depending on who calls her. On Wednesday she interviewed with the Borgata and Golden Nugget AC L.L.C for a table games position, as well as with Oceanside Mortgage Co. of Toms River, since she has a real estate license.

"Borgata said no, but Golden Nugget said yes and has positions for the company's new casino in Louisiana," Panameno said. "I'm thinking about moving, but not right now."

As the job fair wound down at 4 p.m., Janice Douglas, a housing counselor at the Urban League for Bergen County, took inventory of those she interviewed. She said the Englewood-based agency was looking to hire eight people for four job titles for a new satellite office in Marlton that opens next month.

"It was a very good turnout," she said. "They had a nice range of experience, from zero to senior level management."

Douglas said "the need in South Jersey is great" for her agency's services, which include helping people keep their homes and find new jobs.

She said among those the Marlton office will be assisting are laid-off Atlantic City casino workers.